By its very nature, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) project implementation is a complex process that requires substantial resources and experience to accomplish successfully. You are essentially overhauling your business and implementing a software solution that integrates a range of business processes and functions. On top of it all, you’ve got to customize that system to your specifications, train your staff, and support its continued development.
With a software project that is so highly involved throughout all levels of your organization, from the executive team to the IT team, there are considerable risks associated with every ERP implementation. If you don’t catch the signs of failure early enough, you could be facing time delays, scope creep, excess costs, and the worst-case scenario – a business management solution that you or your staff don’t know how to use.
It probably comes as no surprise but a sizeable amount of the companies we work with come from existing Dynamics NAV implementations. We have spent years rescuing customers from failed Dynamics NAV projects and have learned to spot the warning signs when an ERP implementation is about to get rocky.
6 Signs Your Dynamics NAV Implementation is in Trouble
The trouble with most ERP implementations is that one problem typically snowballs into another problem, and so on. While a minor delay might seem manageable, you should always look at the root cause of that delay. Is the client team spread too thin? Are the deadlines set unrealistic? From our experience working with Dynamics NAV project implementation, here are some of the more common signs that there’s more to the story than meets the eye.
- Your Team Members Aren’t Talking
With an ERP implementation of this magnitude, each member of the project team needs to be in the loop on goals, milestones, roles, etc. If you don’t have regular project meetings or a team lead to communicate with the stakeholders involved, your implementation is likely doomed from the start. - You’re Facing Constant Delays
How many missed deadlines does it take to realize there’s a core problem? It could be because the deadlines set are driven by the executive team’s timeline and not the actual partner, or maybe your partner is just not as available as you thought. Either way, you need to nip this in the bud before it spirals out of control. - Quality Standards are Questionable
While you might not be familiar with all the ins and outs of an ERP implementation, you can definitely see when a task is rushed, and quality is compromised to meet an arbitrary deadline. It’s essential to have people responsible for monitoring project milestones and making sure expectations are met throughout the entire project. - You’re Still Receiving Change Requests
Every ERP implementation project starts with a planning stage that builds the foundation of your solution. You assess your current system, what needs to be done, and agree on exactly what is going to be delivered. While you should always accommodate for a few things being out-of-scope, the more modifications and enhancements you receive during design the faster you will derail from achieving your original plan. - Lack of Enthusiasm and Buy-in from Your Staff
This is definitely a sign of general confusion throughout your organization. When the business users you expect to use this new software solution every day aren’t contributing to its design and stay in the dark until rollout, your adoption rate is going to be low and painful for all parties involved. - Additional Costs are Adding Up
Delays, restructuring, shortcuts, out-of-scope changes – all of these events in an ERP implementation are going to have an impact on the final bill and your overall investment into the solution. The best way to mitigate this is to pay attention to all the signs listed above and don’t be afraid to re-evaluate.
Save Your NAV Project from Failure
Many companies are familiar with the traditional on-premise ERP system, where you have spent years investing in infrastructure, customizations, training, testing, and upgrades all to make your system fit your needs. That’s why it takes a strong motivator even to consider moving to a new business management solution, like Business Central.
We invest a lot of our time on Dynamics NAV implementation rescues because we truly believe that Dynamics NAV is one of the best ERP solutions out there. It is such a flexible business management solution that there is no way it can’t meet your specific business requirements and industry needs. The problem is most often partner compatibility. Even a great partner can fail at a project if their working process doesn’t meet yours.
To save yourself from the stress and cost of a failed ERP implementation and get it right the first time around, here are 7 expert tips on how to select the right Dynamics NAV partner for the job: